"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" See More...

Repent & Believe

Friday, March 16, 2012

Can Partaking in Lords Table Save Me?

God uses earthly visible things to teach heavenly invisible
spiritual truths. The practices, whether it be Water Baptism or Lord's
Table, themselves cannot save anybody, as we see in the example of Simon
the Sorcerer. If we set our minds on earthly visible things then we are
lost. We can understand Bible and come to right understanding only if
we follow God prescribed methodology of comparing scripture with
scripture as Holy Spirit guides us. Also nothing we can do on our part
can qualify us for Salvation. Salvation is an unmerited favor 'Grace'.

Acts 8:13,23 "Then Simon [the sorcerer] himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. 23For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.[language pointing to the condition of unsaved]"

John 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth [make you alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

1 Cor 2:12-14 "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

God gave the practice of Lord's table to remind us of Christ's
Atonement for our sins. It is a replacement for old testament ceremonial
Passover feast. The Ceremonial laws and practices do not have any
spiritual benefit except they teach and point to the true sacrifice of
Christ as the Passover Lamb.

Luke 22:15-20 "And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with
you before I suffer: 16For I say unto you, I will not any more eat
thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17And he took the
cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among
yourselves: 18For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the
vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19And he took
bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This
is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

1 Cor 10:16-17 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread."

Lord Jesus Christ is the 'Bread of Life' broken for our sins. The
Jews and Desciples understood it in earthly visible terms, as their eyes
were not opened to the invisible heavenly spiritual truths. 'The Jews
therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his
flesh to eat?', 'Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard
this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?'

John 6:48-63 "I am that bread of life. 49Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51I
am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this
bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my
flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have
no life in you. 54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath
eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my
flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56He that eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 59These
things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60Many
therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62What
and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63It
is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

Bread of Life is Lord Jesus Christ and Lord Jesus Christ is the Word
of God in flesh. It is the Word of God that we need to feed on.

John 1:1,14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Matt 4:3-4 "And when the tempter came to him, he said,
If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But
he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

John 6:32-35 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

John 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth [make you alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

It is the Christ's Blood that makes an Atonement for the Soul. Why
Blood? because Life is in Blood. God gave His own Life to redeem us from
Second death.

Heb 9:22 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."

Lev 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."

Exo 12:5 "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:"

Heb 10:4 "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."

1 Pet 1:18-20 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,"

Rev 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Similarly Water Baptism is an earthly visible thing to teach us
invisible heavenly spiritual truth that we are to be washed in Christ's
blood to be in the right standing with God. God has to pay for our sins
and convict us of our sins to repentance by blessing His Word to our
Hearts through the Holy Spirit. This is the same way God granted
Salvation to Old Testament believers too. The difference is that the Old
Testament believers looked forward to the blood of Christ, and the New
Testament believers look back to the cross.

Matt 3:11 "I [John the Baptist] indeed baptize you with
water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me [Jesus Christ] is
mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize [wash away your sins] you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:"

John 3:5 "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God"

Rom 10:17 declares "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Eph 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it [the Church, Elect of God]; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish."

1 Cor 12:13 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."

Rom 6:3-5 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the
likeness of his resurrection:"

Rev 5:9-12 "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12Saying with
a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."